Gunfights rock suburb of Melbourne (AFP)

MELBOURNE (AFP)-police flooded the streets in a suburb of Melbourne, after shots were fired for the sixth time in two weeks in an escalating violent feud between two warring families.

Shots were sprayed on houses, cars and even a playground in the Northwest of the city, and while no one was injured, police fear it is only a matter of time before bystanders are injured.

"We never had more police out in those areas that we currently have for the next few days," Assistant Commissioner Graham Ashton said efforts in Perth and nearby suburbs.

"Our main concern is that it escalated to where someone is hurt.

"The kind of people out there conducting themselves in this way need to get the strong message of Victoria Police that cannot be tolerated."

Police said the incidents were related to a clan war involving narcotics, centering on a House that has been targeted repeatedly, even by a homemade bomb thrown through the window in front.

The Herald Sun said the battle was between families, Tiba and Kassab.

Police said he had spoken to members of both clans, but they were not cooperating.

"The questions go back some time between these two families, but also involve, we believe, criminal activity, said Ashton.

"Certainly drug-related Activities, we believe, is probably behind it".

The head of a household, Abdul Tiba, whose home was hit by bullets, told the Melbourne age newspaper that he was sick of living in Australia.

"I have had enough of this stress," he said.

"No one helps in this country. No police, no community, no one.

"I tell them that I want to return (Lebanon)."

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The pictures show Chavez standing after the intervention of Cuba (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela – new videos and photos of President Hugo Chavez appeared on State television Tuesday night, showing him on his feet and speaking with Fidel Castro more than two weeks after undergoing urgent surgery in Cuba.

An aide to the Venezuelan leader said that the meeting in Cuba took place earlier in the day.

"We see him recovery," Information Minister Andres Izarra said on State television as short video clips and photographs were shown of Chavez standing and speaking with Castro.

Cuban State television also broadcast pictures of staying together.

They were the first images of Chavez to be released since it appeared with Fidel and Raul Castro in photographs taken in 11 days earlier and published in Cuban media.

But neither the new nor government officials provided details on the health of Chavez. Despite assurances that he is doing well, lack of information, since the Government announced on June 10 that Chavez had undergone pelvic surgery stimulated conversation among Venezuelans who might be very sick.

Officials haven't said when Chavez might return to Venezuela, which next week will celebrate the 200th anniversary of independence from Spain.

Chavez appeared healthy and animated as he spoke and smiled alongside Castro in a courtyard, surrounded by trees and even sit indoors. Chavez wore a jacket with the colors of the flag of Venezuela, while Castro sported a red baseball cap and a blue and white track suit.

"We are witnessing very dynamic, Commander Chavez" Izarra said, describing the images and adding that he spoke with Chavez on Tuesday earlier problems with the Government.

At some point in the video, Chavez and Castro watch a copy of the edition of the newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba Granma Tuesday, and are apparently talking about it.

"We have seen the President share a moment with Fidel," said Izarra. "They discussed several current events".

The words of Chavez and Castro were inaudible and Venezuelan folk music played during the brief presentation of video clips and photos.

Some political opponents of Chavez were not convinced that Chavez looked healthy in video broadcast Tuesday.

"I saw him looking very thin. His face seemed very slim, "Gustavo Azocar, an opposition politician, said after seeing the report.

"I find it odd that the television show President talking with Fidel Castro, but not sent him to speak to the country," Azocar added in a telephone interview.

Opposition politicians have complained that the Government has not provided adequate information on the health of Chavez, and some have suggested that the President should temporarily ceded his duties to the vice President.

The usually loquacious Chavez that Venezuelans are used to seeing in near daily television appearances since the unusually quiet surgery more than two weeks ago. In his comments that were heard only returned home, said Venezuelan State TV to 12 June operation removed a pelvic abscess.

His silence and loneliness they have stimulated the growing speculation that it might be seriously ill. Left-wing political allies of President insisted and is improving and is firmly in control of affairs in Venezuela.

State television, Izarra held on a document that said that Chavez had signed the previous approval Tuesday for a Government housing project.

Twitter Account of Izarra bore a message earlier in the day, suggesting Chavez vigorously tends to daily tasks, but it did not provide details of his health.

Tweet information Minister says Chavez is "like a Dynamo" following the operation.

Cuban State television also aired a one-minute segment on the meeting showing the same images, including some with Chavez's daughter Rose sat down with the two men. It is said that the two longtime friends, "recalled the past" in the company of family members.

Report of Cuba also gave no details about the health of Chavez, but the newscast said Wednesday afternoon would provide more information about the meeting.

___

Associated press writers Peter Bears in Havana and Ian James and Jorge Rueda Caracas has contributed to this report.

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Pay $ 12 M to Nissan CEO gets shareholder ballot (AP)

YOKOHAMA, Japan-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn fielded some tough questions from shareholders about his salary 982 million yen (12 million dollars) Wednesday, but won approval without problems for another two years as head of the Japanese automaker.

Ghosn, who is also head of partner of Nissan Motor Co. Alliance Renault SA of France, told an annual meeting of shareholders that his pay was based on global standards. He said that the average compensation for executives comparable car industry is a $ 15.3 million.

"Nissan is a Japanese company with global management," he said at a hotel in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo.

Brazilian-born Ghosn, who has French citizenship, has observed that the multicultural management talent could easily find work elsewhere, and that the rivals were trying to recruit from the ranks of Nissan.

Ghosn came from Renault to drive a recovery at Nissan near-bankrupt in 1999 and oversaw the painful cost cuts that now they put the carmaker's no. 2 of Japan on a solid growth track.

It targets a 8 percent of global auto market share within a six-year strategy, announced last week. Nissan now has 5.8 percent global market share.

Americans can be used to hear about high pay of managers in their country, but individual compensation began to be published more regularly in Japan last year alone, under a new rule requiring the disclosure of remuneration for executives receiving 100 million yen ($ 1 million) or more. Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally is paid $ 26.5 million.

Ghosn earned 891 million yen last year — already between higher salaries for a head of a Japanese company.

Most Japanese top executives are paid salaries far lower, in part because their roles tend to be different, especially in the past.

That does not have the power management of a European or American company Chief, acting more as what is known as a "Salaryman President" in Japan, gradually rising up the ranks to become a cheerleader symbolic, while key decisions are still made by a larger team.

Nissan, which makes the leaf electric vehicle, the March subcompact and Infiniti luxury model, is among the handful of Japanese companies that have a foreigner.

Japanese electronics and Entertainment Sony Corp. reported Tuesday that the Chief Executive Howard Stringer, an American born in Welsh, received 345 million yen (4.3 million), with stock options worth 518 million yen ($ 6.4 million).

Ghosn has emerged as a rare example of charismatic administration in a nation that promotes teamwork on individuals standing outside.

At the meeting on Wednesday, an investor, who didn't give his name, asked riches of Ghosn Ghosn, noting that it also has 3 million shares of Nissan.

"It should be reassuring for shareholders who have a lot of actions," Ghosn said, noting that meant has a stake in the automaker's success.

Other shareholders were impressed with the leadership of Ghosn. One woman said that she had no questions, but wanted to give Ghosn a book as a gift. He accepted, waving his hand from the stage.

Yoshinobu Ota, 74, a retired trust banker, said he is invigorated by the momentum that has found for Nissan's Ghosn.

"I could feel the passion by Nissan under Mr. Ghnosn I am so grateful to him, "he said after the shareholders ' meeting.

"Some may argue that his pay is too, but that kind of ability," he said.

___

Yuri Kageyama can be achieved http://twitter.com/yurikageyamato

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Government of Ontario optimistic spending plans: auditor (Reuters)

TORONTO (Reuters)-Ontario's latest spending forecasts are optimistic and aggressive, the province's Auditor General said on Tuesday, which can make it difficult for the Government to achieve its fiscal targets.

The auditor's report comes just three months before an election in October. The Liberal Government are final the main opposition Progressive Conservatives in recent surveys.

Under the legislation introduced in 2004, the Government of Ontario is required to release a pre-election report on the finances of the province, including revenue and expense projections for three years. It is also necessary that the tax plan should be based on assumptions.

"He's going to be very challenging ... This is a set of assumptions quite upbeat and aggressive. Really, things must go right, "Auditor General Jim McCarter told reporters.

"The risk would be basically you have a much greater risk of not meeting your goals tax if the things I hope they are going to happen does not happen," he added.

McCarter has ascertained that the Government's plan is largely tied to its ability to freeze public sector salaries, constituting half of public spending.

However, since government announcement to freeze salaries in 2010, he noted that about 60 percent of compensation agreements with the public sector have led to pay raises.

The forecasts were in line with estimates the budget in March, when the Government has predicted would be needed until 2017-18 to eliminate its deficit c 16.3 billion (16.6 billion dollars).

McCarter has concluded that the estimates of revenues and costs of interest on the debt of the province were in fact "prudent and cautious".

Expenses thus-the other half of the equation that the Government has actually control against economically driven-revenues were seen with more skepticism.

The auditor's report notes that the Government says it will spend an average of only 1.8% more in each of the next three years, although its annual spending growth over the past eight years, after adjusting for one-time expenses, an average of almost 7 percent.

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said in response to the report which he has characterized the spending assumptions as aggressive, adding that the province's deficit targets are not at risk.

"In fact, we overachieved and he doesn't say that. I think what he says is that he speaks, he speaks of contingency. "He talks about the conservative nature of our revenue projections, Duncan told reporters.

"On balance, I thought that his report was right ... I think we're on target moving forward. "

($ 1 = $ 0.98 Canadian)

(Reporting by Claire Sibonney; editing by Rob Wilson)

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Iran missile test-fire, secret shows silos

Tehran — the Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran is conducting a series of 10 days of tests of missiles, including launching medium-range missiles on targets in the sea, and revealed a previously secret network of underground missile silos, Iranian State media reported Tuesday.

The test are a part of maneuvers scheduled to strengthen Iran's military doctrine of "asymmetric warfare", in which revolutionary guards would counterstrikes in case of an attack against Iran by the United States and Israel. The exercise is intended to send a message of "peace and friendship" in regional countries, State media reported.

However, commanders of the Revolutionary Guard said that if "caused", Iran could hit Israel, as well as U.S. bases and warships, with missiles fired from deep inside the country.

"America made things easier for us to locate its garrisons and camps in neighbouring countries," Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander aerospace forces the guards, said the Islamic Republic News Agency. "We can attack all Americans in the region of these missiles."

In addition to bases in neighboring Afghanistan and in Iraq, the US Army has a presence in Bahrain and Qatar, and a group of carriers regularly plies the waters of the Persian Gulf.

But Iran has no plans to attack anyone, commanders told reporters.

"Of course not begin any operation, but our reactions will be exclusively defensive," Brigadier General Hossein Salami, Deputy Commander of the Revolutionary Guard, says the semiofficial news agency Fars. "My fingers are still triggers. Only the number of triggers is increased. "

Salami said that Iran is tracking and observing the movements of his "enemies" of the region. "We have the power to execute the budget and swift retaliatory mass missions on all enemy targets," salame said.

On Monday, State television aired a report on a visit to an underground missile site containing Iran's most powerful rocket, the Shahab-3. The crew was flying in a private jet to an unknown destination in Iran, then headed to the site for hours in a windowless van, according to the report.

State television cited unidentified colonels as saying that Iran began construction of a network of these silos across the nation 15 years ago.

"All the silos of launching missiles are programmed and ready to launch against pre-programmed targets," one of the colonels said, stressing that the sites could not be detected by satellites.

During the missile tests are similar in 2008, the revolutionary guards doctored images more of a missile launch when one of the rockets proved to be a real disaster.

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Lessons from Gates war room

At a time when Washington is increasingly disparaged, Secretary of Defense Robert m. Gates is the last man in Washington.

It manifests in his appearance: he favors dark suits, white shirts and neatly combed gray hair.

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In his last official speech as head of the Pentagon, Secretary Robert Gates has warned of a future ' dim ', if not sad for the American-European military alliance and the precautions of the drift of continents. (10 June)

His background: he has spent four decades serving eight Presidents.

And how he works: he is careful, conservative and consensus-oriented.

In his four years at the Pentagon, Gates became a vital force in the debate on the deeply unpopular wars. He was a manager of the Pentagon bureaucracy expert and earned a reputation as the Secretary of Defense more ruthlessly efficient in decades.

"He is an extremely bureaucratic effectiveness, and I mean that in a good way," said Eliot a. Cohen, a senior official in the Bush administration and Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. "He is simple, levelheaded and disciplined ... a judicious guy at a time when we needed sensible."

Gates prepares to leave office this week, the criticism of him is that he was more of an implementer of policies of its leaders in a bold visionary intent to change the military.

Gates bristles at criticism in a recent interview: "We didn't exactly have time to be a bold visionary in the midst of two wars".

His legacy as Secretary of Defense probably will be defined not by grand ideas but by his stewardship pragmatic of the two wars, and as the Washington insiders have long exercised the power.

Here are a few lessons:

A lesson: time to buy

Shortly after he took over as Defense Secretary in 2006, Gates said Gen. David Petraeus h., then Commander of Iraq, as he wanted to operate. "You have your space battle, and I have mine," Gates said.

Fight of Petraeus centered on insurgents and death squads in the streets of Baghdad. Fight of Gates was to buy more time in Washington for President and Petraeus war strategy to show the results.

His main weapon was the review of the Department of Defense. In January 2007, as the first of 30,000 surge troops were heading towards Iraq, Gates has planned a revision of September to assess if the new strategy of war and the reinforcements made tangible progress.

He employed the same tactic three years later in Afghanistan when President Obama sent 33,000 troops in Afghanistan.

The customer has helped Bush and Obama administrations to determine whether the military was making progress, and helped to reassure Congress. "They give people a sense that you actually have got hands on the wheel and are not just coasting along," said Gates.

The customer serve another purpose: they put out critical critical agitating for immediate troop reductions and greater reduction of U.S. goals. In short, they bought commanders of Gates some precious time.

"I consciously I used them for this purpose," said Gates.

Lesson 2: let them see you cry

Gates had earned a reputation for toughness after firing or replaced at least seven top officials during his term. But it also wasn't afraid to show a softer side.

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In South Korea, equity is the new ideal

SEOUL — With its rapid economic rise, South Korea has earned a reputation as a ruthless, competitive society, go-go. But now the equity has become chic.

Students protest for it; Ministries of the Government promise to support the newspaper's editorial said that the President has been too slow to deliver it. Experts say that the establishment of equity reflects dismay in which rapid change won: a widening gap between rich and poor and residue of corruption.

 

For the President, Lee Myung-bak, this is more of a problem, because a string of fraud, scandals and bourgeois economic worries have convinced the Koreans that their is anything that the company "fair" that he has promoted.

Some Koreans, Lee included, describing fairness as a prerequisite for achieving democratic maturity. But the value also contradicts the winner-takes-all ethos which drove the postwar boom of the South Korea, with the emergence of dominant conglomerates, an ultra-competitive education system and social safety nets to help the non-elite.

In a fair society, Lee said, "the winner takes all."

The Boost for fairness has created some unconventional test cases. Several months ago, Lotte Mart, a conglomerate department store began selling buckets of fried chicken — so cheap that they sold within hours every day. But small and medium-sized chicken shacks could not compete with the prices and protested the injustice of it all. After five days, that lotte Mart surrendered, saying that would fry chicken cheap is no longer, in deference to the ideals of the society.

But a year from the speech of Lee's Fair society, Koreans came to see fairness as elusive ideal. While the increase in food prices and contributions of the University, the 20 percent of the Fund has seen his income Plummet 35 percent over the last decade. As arms Seoul, distant provinces complain of neglect and struggle to attract businesses. Although the country's growth has been fueled by Tiger-strong "chaebol" — subsidiaries family as Hyundai and Samsung — these companies now squeeze the middle and small companies that they subcontract.

"In Korea, people get all strong," said Kwak Seung-jun, President of a Council that advises the President. "We are used to competition. ... Right now, large companies are eating small businesses. "

Lee's advisers predict a growth process of cooperation: the elite gives more and earn social responsibility, benefits trickle down and South Korea becomes a nation. But all the time, Lee's administration was distressed by corruption, with illicit favors Incall and corruption, undermining the judicial system, the financial regulation and big business.

Some ministries have lately tried to cut away the corruption, limiting or banning expensive dinners or golf rounds with associates. In a radio address this month, Lee said that corruption in many parts of the company remained "rampant". Some experts suggest that such corruption is the legacy of rapid political change of Korea, as the country rose to power as an authoritarian State in the 1960s and 1970s, then the transition to democracy in 1987.

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Shareholders Assembly, Tepco rejects the proposal to abandon the nuclear

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TOKYO — At the downtown hotel where Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives met Tuesday with thousands of shareholders, some 250 riot police were called in to provide extra security. Anti-nuclear protestors crowded the sidewalks. The meeting lasted for six hours, a go-round of apologies and jeers.

Facing shareholders for the first time since the onset of a nuclear crisis with no endpoint, Japan’s largest utility company on Tuesday reappointed its chairman and rejected a motion calling for the company to abandon nuclear energy.

For some in the raucous audience, those status quo actions reinforced the image of a company that is tone-deaf to the despair it has caused. But the decisions, more tellingly, also signaled why Japan’s national debate over nuclear energy remains a stalemate of painful options.

The nuclear catastrophe at its Fukushima Daiichi plant has driven some 85,000 Japanese from their homes and driven Tepco toward financial ruin. But a reliance on nuclear energy underpins the economy of this resource-poor country, which in the wake of the crisis has even less capacity to shoulder the economic hardship that nuclear abandonment would require.

More than 9,000 shareholders attended Tuesday’s annual meeting, triple the record set last year. Some interrupted the meeting with yelling, and were ushered out by security.

Facing executives seated at the front of the room, one shareholder screamed that the company leaders deserved ritual disembowelment. Another said the executives should “jump into the reactors and die.”

“On behalf of all of the executives I want to apologize to investors and local people for all the trouble caused by the Fukushima Daiichi accident,” the chairman, Tsunehisa Katsumata said.

Briefly, Katsumata faced a motion calling for his own dismissal, submitted by a shareholder who said, nearly in tears, “If you are really feeling responsible, how dare you serve as chairman.”

Some applauded the statement. But the motion was defeated.

Many in attendance were elderly investors who once viewed Tepco a safe place to put their money. Since the March 11 disaster, Tepco shares have lost nearly 85-percent of their value. One month ago Tepco announced that the company had lost $15 billion for the latest fiscal year, which ended in March. The rating agency Moody’s this month cut Tepco’s credit rating to junk status.

Some experts have warned that Tepco, which faces at least $136 billion in compensation pay-outs, could face shortages as soon as this fall.

To help itself meet the compensation claims, Tepco has secured massive emergency loans, and it intends to sell off many of its non-essential assets. It is also considering plans for layoffs and cuts to employee salaries, while asking executives to return bonus payments.

The extent to which Tepco can pay the compensation claims, though, will be largely dictated by a contentious plan currently under debate in parliament. The bill calls for the creation of a new agency — a de factor fundraiser for Tepco — that could draw money from Japan’s major power companies, as well as from special-issue government bonds. Such a rescue plan has already been approved by Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s cabinet, but it so far has gotten little cooperation from the major opposition party.

At the shareholders meeting, Katsumata, the chairman, promised that Tepco would pay out the compensation claims as soon as possible. He added that the company was trying its best to stabilize Fukushima Daiichi’s crippled reactors, three of which suffered meltdowns when an earthquake-tsunami combo knocked out the plant’s cooling systems.

The company’s president, Masataka Shimizu, who has already signaled his intention to resign, added that radiation leaks could be under control by mid-July.

The motion to abandon nuclear energy was submitted by a bloc of 402 shareholders. The group has submitted such a proposal every year for two decades, spurred by a lesser nuclear plant malfunction in 1989.

This year, like usual, the motion was roundly defeated, as the bulk of Tepco’s shareholders submitted their votes over the Internet.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is Tepco’s fifth-largest shareholder. The four largest are banks and insurance firms.

Prior to the March 11 disaster, nuclear energy accounted for one-third of Tepco’s power-generating capacity, according to company data. Tepco has about 30 million customers, supplying power to the Tokyo region.

It is the largest of Japan’s major power companies — and politically powerful as well, with historical ties to the government’s economy and trade ministry, responsible for promoting nuclear power and nuclear safety.

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4 honors for Chris Brown at music-heavy BET Awards (AP)

LOS ANGELES – The BET Awards honor various arts, but Sunday's ceremony was all about the music.

There were more performances than awards during the 3 1/2-hour show at the Shrine Auditorium, where singer Chris Brown and rappers Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled did double-duty, each taking the stage twice to perform.

Brown made a few extra trips to the stage as the night's big winner. The 21-year-old won four awards, adding momentum to a comeback that began with his Michael Jackson tribute at the BET Awards last year and continued with his album, "F.A.M.E."

Brown has been working to repair his image since he pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. He hit a stumbling block this year when he tore up his dressing room after an appearance on "Good Morning America."

He was named best male R&B artist and won best collaboration for his song "Look At Me Now" with Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. The three performed together Sunday as part of a medley of Brown's songs.

"Public-speaking is not my strong suit," he said, thanking BET and his fans before passing the microphone to Wayne, who expressed gratitude to God, his fans and Brown for including him on the track.

Earlier in the ceremony, Brown also thanked his fans and the network, saying, "I appreciate all the support. I know it's been a long road, so I appreciate every blessing in front of me."

Brown was back on stage to join Big Sean on his song, "My Last," and again to close the show, which he did on a bicycle alongside host Kevin Hart, who was on a Segway scooter.

That's when Hart announced that Brown also won the Fandemonium award and the Viewers' Choice prize.

Moments earlier, Drake had accepted the Viewers' Choice award when Rihanna was announced as the winner. But there was apparently a glitch with the digital tablet devices that replaced the show's traditional winners' envelopes.

A fan was brought on stage to announce the winner, and she initially said Brown won. Then she corrected herself to say Rihanna won. Hart clarified after a commercial break that "there was a mistake," and Brown had indeed been the viewers' choice.

Apart from the accidental award acceptance, Drake also appeared on stage with Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled for a performance on "I'm On One."

Lil Wayne did lots of stage time. He performed with Brown and Drake, et al, and was on stage again when Nicki Minaj won her award for best female hip-hop artist.

"I can't believe for the first time I get to share a moment like this with the person who saw me rapping on a staircase," she said of the rapper and producer, who was incarcerated when she won the same prize last year. "Lil Wayne, I love you."

Mary J. Blige set the tone for the performance-filled program when she opened the show with a pair of hits: "All Night Long" and "Real Love." Surprise guest Anita Baker joined her on stage, and it was a diva duet as the two sang Baker's classic, "Caught Up in the Rapture."

Steve Harvey's acceptance of the Humanitarian Award was punctuated by a gospel celebration, as Donnie McClurkin, Deitrick Haddon and gospel artist winners Mary Mary gathered to perform "Thank You."

Following a musical tribute that included Cee Lo Green wearing a Patti LaBelle-inspired headdress and blouse, LaBelle punctuated her own Lifetime Achievement Award win by performing a couple of classics, including her breakthrough hit, "Lady Marmalade."

Alicia Keys unveiled a brand new song and performed two hits: "Fallin'" and "A Woman's Worth," for which she was joined by Bruno Mars.

Queen Latifah and Snoop Dogg delivered heartfelt performances as part of a memorial segment that recognized Nate Dogg, Teena Marie, Clarence Clemons and Gil Scott Heron, among others.

The final performance of the night came from across the pond: Beyonce's headlining set at the Glastonbury Music Festival was beamed into the Shrine Auditorium from England.

___

Sandy Cohen can be reached at www.twitter.com/APSandy.

___

Online:

http://www.bet.com/betawards

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Israel denies the fiscal pressure on Greece to blockade flotilla boats

In May 2010, the Flotilla and five other aid ships were on their way to Gaza when Israeli soldiers.

• Organizers accused Israel and the United States of economic pressure on Greece
• An official of the Israeli Foreign Ministry called the allegation "ludicrous"
• The Israeli Government warned foreign journalists against being part of the flotilla

Jerusalem (CNN) -The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed as "ridiculous" suggestions that Israel and the United States were using economic pressure to force fiscally strapped Greece in boats stop participating in an international flotilla to Gaza.

"These people have no evidence any claims?" asked the Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor Israeli. "Their entire activity turns to demonize Israel. What they say, we used all the Jewish bankers in the world to undo the bonds of Greece? What kind of fantasy world they live in? "

The organizers of a boatload of planning to join the fleet, U.S.-registered Audacity of hope, issued a statement on Sunday, asking the Greek Government to explain why the ship was prevented from running being rented out leaving a port in Greek.

Passengers and crew members say that they are told that the boat did not start because of concerns about its seaworthiness and the need for more inspections.

Participants travel rejected the explanation, arguing that the boat was in safe. They suggested the economic pressure was being exerted upon the Greece.

"Israel has said openly that it is pressuring Governments to try to stop the flotilla and clearly Greece is a key Government since many of the boats leave from Greece" passenger Medea Benjamin said in a press release from organizers of the boat. "It is inconceivable that Israel would take advantage of the Greek people are living to try to stop our boat or flotilla the economic hardship."

In the news release, the organizers of the boat-boat to Gaza-United States suggested without offering evidence that policy leverage has been used with the International Monetary Fund in an attempt to force Greece to block the flotilla of ships from the start.

Palmor acknowledged that Israel was using diplomatic channels to prevent what he calls "a flotilla illegal" arriving in Gaza.

"These are the diplomatic contacts with friendly countries," said Palmor. "With regard to their demands, are consciously and proudly to commit an illegal act and still have complaints? The charges are simply ridiculous. "

Meanwhile, Director of the Press Office of the Government of Israel, Oren Helman, sent a letter Sunday to foreign journalists based in Israel, warning that "the participation of the flotilla is a violation of Israeli law intentional and may cause participants is denied entry into Israel for 10 years, the seizure of their equipment and additional sanctions".

"I implore you to avoid taking part in this dangerous and provocative event, whose purpose is to undermine the right of Israel to defend itself and knowingly violating Israeli law," Helman wrote.

Foreign Press Association, representing journalists worldwide who work in the area, responded that the Government's letter, threatening punishment for coverage of flotilla "send a chilling message to the international media and raises serious doubts about Israel's commitment to press freedom".

"Journalists covering legitimate news event should be allowed to do their job without threats and intimidation," the Foreign Press Association said in a statement. "We ask the Government to revoke its decision immediately".

The flotilla, planned to sail soon, intends to challenge the Israel maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.

According to the organisers, the flotilla is meant to commemorate the anniversary of a year of a similar flotilla which resulted in a clash in international waters with the Israeli Navy commandos which killed nine people including an American citizen.

In May 2010, the Flotilla-owned by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation or HHI and five other ships were on their way to Gaza with humanitarian aid and about 700 activists from different countries when the Israeli soldiers boarded.

An independent Commission, headed by a retired judge Yaakov Turkel, then discovered that the Israeli commandos "acted professionally and independently measured in front of the unexpected violence" when they seized the ship associated with aid to Gaza.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday that she didn't think the flotilla plan for this year "is useful or productive or useful to the people of Gaza".

"We have certainly encouraged that u.s. citizens not participating in the flotilla," said, "and we are urging that all precautions be taken to avoid any type of confrontation."

Clinton's comments followed a statement even harsher by State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland, in which she criticized what she called "irresponsible and provocative actions that risk the safety of their passengers."

Azrael CNN Guy has contributed to this report.

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Israel customer alert journalists to Gaza flotilla (Reuters)

JERUSALEM (Reuters)-Israel said Monday it was rethinking its threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years, if they are on board a new aid flotilla that plans to defy the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

"(Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) heard on the news and asked to re-examine this issue because it is problematic," Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said, referring to Israel's warning Sunday Government Press Office (GPO).

"I know that the Prime Minister was surprised when I hear this," he said, without revealing that he had taken the decision to hand over the threat.

"There is no way to stop the media in this day and age if (are) anyway. It is better not to clash with them. "

The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem described the warning, that GPO Director Oren Helman sent to international media organisations, such as a "chilling message" that raised questions about Israel's commitment to press freedom.

Pro-Palestinian activists have said about a dozen ships carrying aid to Gaza Strip, territory controlled by the Islamists of Hamas, could depart from ports in Europe in the coming days.

Israel has made clear that he will apply the block that it says is aimed at stopping arms to Hamas, which is shunned by the West because of his refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept the existing peace deals.

The Palestinians say the blockade is illegal and is helping to strangle the economy underdeveloped in Gaza. Israeli officials have said the convoy could dock in Egypt or in Israel and have his load of aid transferred by road to the Gaza Strip.

In an email, Helman said participation of the flotilla would be "an intentional violation of Israeli law and could result in a ban on the entry of 10 years in Israel and the kidnapping of the journalists ' equipment.

A year ago, nine Turkish activists, including one with dual citizenship U.S.-Turkish, were killed by Israeli soldiers who raided an aid convoy to Gaza and were confronted passengers brandishing Clubs and knives.

Netanyahu's security cabinet discussed the new flotilla on Monday. A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister reiterated that "Israel is determined to prevent the flotilla to reach Gaza with as little friction as possible with his passengers."

(Writing by Jeffrey Heller; edited by Crispian Balmer)

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The death penalty Ruyati So Discussion on Iran TV

Tehran -death penalty TKW Ruyati Bint Satubi was also brought to the attention of mass media in Iran. Press TV Iran come to preach the Ruyati case shake up ties Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

As reported by the Press TV Iran, Thursday (27/6) the death penalty against Ruyati made the Government reaped criticism from Saudi Arabia Indonesia. Indonesia also will stop sending TKW to Saudi Arabia.

In the news footage, Press TV put up photos of Ruyati and an angular punishment scenes. News from 1 minute 3 seconds it was circulated on Youtube and become a concern in the country.

But apparently, a scene of the death penalty in the News Press TV Iran only illustration news only and not the scene of the death penalty against Ruyati.

This scene to explain when the newsreader said Ruyati beheaded with all come tebas in early June. His corpse was shown to the public.

The same Video was apparently already been diuplod on Youtube called Qisas_mekah. flv on July 23, 2010, or one year before Ruyati was sentenced to death. This Video appears intact for 1 minute 20 seconds, starting from the preparation process of execution.

(fay/ash)


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Hundreds of Jukir in Gajah Mada-Hayam Wuruk Protest Foke

Jakarta -hundreds of people a parking (jukir) berunjuk sense in front of Balaikota DKI Jakarta. They are the jukir who threatened to lose jobs as impact of the removal of parking on the street along Jl Gajah Mada and Hayam Wuruk Jakarta.

"We are losing their jobs. We have kids and wife to be dinafkahi. Now have left-right, "lamented ngutang a demonstrator, Tarman (26), on the sidelines of a rally in front of Balaikota, Jl Medan Merdeka Selatan, Monday (5/6/2011).

In the action are addressed to the Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo (Foke), the jukir held a variety of banners of rejection. To enliven the rally, the pendemo also brought the car loudspeakers to berorasi.

"We ask the policy revoked. Because this is not berfihak on the small people like us. If the issue bogged down, no parking on the street also has bogged down, "shot the pendemo.

"This is just a piece of policy into pieces. Traffic jams because his car kagak dibatasin, public vehicles, plus not allowed rickety and fleet busway it-that's it. It's about time the Government's smart looking for solutions, not like this, "he asserts.

In addition to the Foke, pendemo also mendemo Office of the Vp who happened to be located next door. They asked the Central Government as VP help serious traffic jams in Jakarta.

"She's special instructions for handling to a standstill. Where's the proof? How we small folk who was sacrificed, "a contrite heart, pendemo Syokron.

Due to the traffic flow demo, along Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan so choked up. After the March in about 90 minutes, demos disbanded with the code of conduct. There is no security means the action of the police.


(Ari/lh)


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Focus on Federer, Nadal, 2 sisters at Wimbledon (AP)

WIMBLEDON, England – Roger Federer insists he hasn't been fretting about when or — perhaps more to the point — whether he will win a 17th Grand Slam championship.

"I don't go through days thinking, like, 'My God, I haven't won a Grand Slam in so long,'" Federer said. "It hasn't been that long, to be honest."

Well, only by his remarkably high standards: His record-extending 16th major trophy came at the Australian Open in January 2010. That nearly 18-month drought could end at Wimbledon, where Federer already has won six titles, one behind Willie Renshaw (who played in the 1800s) and Pete Sampras.

"It doesn't come in phases; I'm always hungry," Federer said. "And that's a good thing."

Serena Williams' bid for what would be her fifth title at the All England Club, and 14th overall at major tournaments, also was still in play with Week 2 of the grass-court Grand Slam set to begin Monday.

"Yeah, I'm still alive, and it feels good," said Williams, who could become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row. "You know, I'm hoping to be around — and planning to be around — a lot longer."

As the 125th edition of the tournament heads into the fourth round, all of the principal players are still around, as are the story lines that drew the most interest at the start, from the Williams sisters' comebacks to the dominance of the leading men.

After Sunday's traditional day of rest, action was to resume with all 16 men's and women's fourth-round matches. Two stood out in particular: Top-seeded Rafael Nadal against No. 24 Juan Martin del Potro, and No. 23 Venus Williams against No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova in a rematch of a 2010 quarterfinal won by the Bulgarian.

The Williams sisters have combined to win nine of the past 11 Wimbledon singles titles, and while Serena has played only five matches in the past 11 1/2 months, and Venus missed about five months with a hip injury, both are clearly capable of producing top-level tennis.

Also in the picture are top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, hoping for her first Grand Slam title, and 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.

"There's no doubt you have to improve with the second week coming. I think that's always the toughest part," said Sharapova, who's won three major titles but none since 2008. "That's where you hope you raise your level."

The top four men — Nadal, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Federer and No. 4 Andy Murray — filled out the semifinals at the French Open, and no one would be too surprised if they did that again at Wimbledon. They lost a total of three sets during Week 1.

Djokovic and Murray are two-time semifinalists at Wimbledon, but neither has been to the final. Murray hopes to give Britain its first male champion at the All England Club — well, at any Grand Slam site, actually — since 1936.

Djokovic, whose 43-match winning streak ended with a loss to Federer in the French Open semifinals, faces No. 19 Michael Llodra, at 31 the oldest man left and finally in the fourth round on his 11th appearance at Wimbledon. Murray meets No. 17 Richard Gasquet, while the last American man in the field, No. 10 Mardy Fish, plays 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych.

One thing worth keeping an eye on: Nadal's fitness. He slipped behind the baseline a couple of times during his third-round victory over Gilles Muller, and afterward acknowledged he was bothered by a right leg muscle. But he also said he can "play with that, without problems."

After so many years of dominance on clay — he won his sixth French Open championship this month — Nadal has become quite good on grass. Since the start of Wimbledon in 2006, he is 29-2 at the tournament. His only losses were to Federer in the 2006 and 2007 finals; Nadal won the 2008 and 2010 titles, and was sidelined in 2009 by tendinitis in his knees.

"Against him, you should play unbelievable tennis. You should play everything perfect, and then maybe you have a little chance," said del Potro, who was forced to play every day from Monday through Saturday because of rain. "He will be the big favorite."

That might be true. But even though del Potro lost in the second round in all three previous visits to the All England Club, his chances against Nadal shouldn't be dismissed.

After all, at the 2009 U.S. Open, del Potro did beat Nadal in the semifinals, then Federer in the final — the only time someone beat both in the course of a single Grand Slam tournament. It's also the only time in the past 25 major tournaments that a man other than Federer, Nadal or Djokovic took home the title.

Del Potro is working his way back after missing most of the 2010 season because of surgery on his right wrist, and while he's seeded 24th, Nadal pointed out that "his level is much better than what the ranking says today."

Women's matchups include No. 7 Serena Williams against No. 9 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up; Wozniacki against No. 24 Dominika Cibulkova; and No. 5 Sharapova against No. 20 Peng Shuai of China.

Venus Williams' straight-set loss against Pironkova a year ago represented only the third time in the American's past 11 trips to Wimbledon that she didn't reach the final.

"Unfortunately, I didn't play that well. On a competitive level, I don't feel I competed well. Regardless of how I play, I know I'll be competing this time," said the older Williams sister, who has won five of her seven career Grand Slam singles titles at the All England Club.

"Last year, I let a few games get away, and instead of coming back, I let it all get to me. You can't do that, especially in a Wimbledon quarterfinal," she continued. "I won't let anything get to me this time."

___

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Call The Mayor Of Solo, Central Java Governor Will Be Denied Entry Solo

Solo -Governor Bibit Waluyo mentions the Mayor of Central Java City of solo, Joko Widodo, as a person who is stupid because against Governor in development. The impact of that statement, inflamed and making Solo nationals petition rejected Bibit Waluyo comes to Solo.

As reported in the newspapers Tempo supplements in Central Java, Monday (27/6), the seeds after the inauguration of the bridge in Magelang said Joko Widodo stupid for daring to oppose the policies of the Governor of Central Java in a plan to build the Mall on the ground the ex factory building in Solo es Saripetojo. He insisted the plan to build the Mall should be forwarded.

The statement, the Forum Community Solo (FKMS) assessing Seed arrogant and authoritarian. Statements that hurt the community Solo who have chosen Joko Widodo as Mayor even with 90,8% of voters.

That's why FKMS, Monday (27/6/2011), declared the vote of no confidence against the Bibit Waluyo as Governor of Central Java. They also said it will reject the incoming Bibit Waluyo and called for the entire community's Solo Central Java menurukan Seeds from his post as Governor.

The response also emerged from internal hardware DESIGN, the party that used to run Bibit Waluyo as Governor of Central Java. The Secretary of the DPC PDIP Surakarta, Teguh Prakoso, firmly stated regret personally first have selected the seeds as Governor. Head of DPRD Kota Surakarta, YF Sukasno, also said similar things.

"The man (Bibit Waluyo-red) had no idea myself. First us-we even have to spend money on a private individual to finance her campaign as Cagub. But now it looks like this in return for the city of Solo, "said Vice Chairman DPC PDIP Surakarta.
(mbr/fay)


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